Organizing Tips

When you start out trying to organize an entire room or area, the task can be daunting. Here are some tips to get you started on specific areas of your home. These tasks all take 10 minutes or less, but make a big difference in the visual presentation of the area. Many times, these 10-minute tasks can lead you to get into a groove and continue tidying up other areas too!

KITCHEN: ​Declutter the front of your refrigerator. Even if you look at your refrigerator right now and think "..But I want all that there"... STILL take everything off and give it a quick wipe-down. Now decide what you actually want to keep on the front of your refrigerator. Many times after the items are off, you can assess them better and end up with less things, which ultimately means less clutter. Additional Tips: If you have a lot of pictures, choose only 3-4 pictures to display. Plan to frame the others or file them away (you can even rotate them out periodically from your pile!). Any take-out menus or other paperwork should be kept elsewhere and not cluttering the front of your refrigerator so take those off too! Assess how many magnets you really need.

BEDROOM: Make your bed. I know you probably have heard this before, but this really does work! If you make your bed, immediately your room will look just a little bit more clean and inviting! Okay-- since you've probably heard that one, here's another one: Clear surfaces such as nightstands and dressers. Even if you think you want to keep everything you have on those spaces, still take everything off and quickly wipe the surface with a damp rag. Now decide what you want to actually put back on now that everything is already off. Additional Tips: ONLY keep items you use every day on the top of your dressers-- you don't need 7 different perfumes if you only use the same one throughout the week. Depending on the size of your dresser(s) or nightstand(s), 1 picture frame or knick-knack is plenty, along with a box of tissues and potentially some small items that you use daily. Putting those items on a small tray or in a small basket can help clear up the space too!

LIVING ROOM: ​Tidy up the couch area. This is similar to making your bed. Straighten the couch cushions, fluff and straighten the pillows, fold any blankets on the couch, and corral all of the remotes to one area. Poof! You're living room looks better already! Clearing surfaces such as end tables and the coffee table can also make a huge difference! Just like your nightstand and dressers in your bedroom, the less things you have on the surfaces, the cleaner and more relaxing the space feels. A small basket on your coffee table can house all of the remotes. Declutter the amount of books and magazines that are sitting out while you're there (just choose a few you actually may want to read and look at soon and store or get rid of the rest).

ENTRY AREA: Tidy up the shoe area. Whether you have a large mud room or a small entry way, it's likely there are shoes scattered around. Grab a basket or box and gather the shoes (and anything else in the area while you're at it) leaving one pair for each member of your family. Put the rest of the shoes back where they belong (or at least into the closet of each person's room to organize later).

BATHROOM: Clear off and clean surfaces. The bathroom counters tend to collect a lot of products. Removing these and wiping down the counter and sink area helps create a more clean and uncluttered look immediately. If you have so many items and you're thinking... "I can't get this done in 10 minutes", then grab a basket (or several small baskets) and put all the things in that basket to leave on your counter. Your space will look a little more put together and give the illusion it's more organized than it is... until you have time to really tackle the space and organize it for good!

LINEN CLOSET: Take out towels, blankets, sheets, and/or pillow cases-- RE-FOLD and STACK. Doing this alone will make your linen closet immediately look more organized. Bonus: While folding the items, quickly decide if you even still use and want it or if you could get rid of it.

KIDS ROOM: Collect all things on the floor into a large box (or two, or three...). Get a laundry basket or large box from somewhere in your house and gather all the items on the floor into the box. [You'll probably want a bag with you too, to throw away any garbage as you go.] You don't have to deal with all the items now, just get them off the floor and contained to make the room feel more calming (or at the least, to ensure you don't hurt yourself walking in next time)!